Please refer to the ColdRoad and Cold-Trace websites for more information.

The ColdRoad project addresses the problem of quality control and monitoring in goods transportation and delivery services that has become an increasing concern to producers, services suppliers, transport decision makers and consumers all over Europe. To meet the common needs of this multi-sectoral and social dimension problem, the ColdRoad project seeks to offer European enterprises and consumers a system based on the usage of mobile technologies for quality control and for monitoring of the supply chain relations.
Cold-Trace builds upon the results of ColdRoad and develops them further towards market readiness, a major undertaking being a market validation study.
Both projects have been funded by the European Union.

Overall, the projects encourage user companies - particularly transport SMEs- to adopt innovative management solutions and therefore to improve the capacity for innovation, developing new services and become more competitive in the knowledge and digital economy. They are also of great benefit for European consumers and citizens, helping them to become more confident with demanded food, goods and services.

Technological aspects addressed in the projects include:

• Development, integration and testing a novel cold chain control system based on 2.5G and/or 3G mobile communications offering:
  
• Geographical positioning of the fleet
• Cold chain control
• Remote control of refrigerator equipment
• Advanced messaging system between trucks and headquarters.

• Identifying and mapping social and market demand for the proposed solution in other sectors (road transport, merchant naval fleets, maintenance services, home sales, tourist information, etc.)
• Understanding the linkages between innovative supply chain management practices and changes in consumers behaviour
• Assessing the potential contribution of the ColdRoad concept to safety aspects and consumer protection associated with the development of GM food
• Assessing the improvements in quality of life for drivers themselves
• Drawing lessons from the project for good practice technology transfer in transport related sectors